Chapter 123: An Unexpected Delight (Double Chapter)

"How do you know that?" Old Yu lightly brushed the teacup lid, asking seemingly at ease.

Qin Ye smiled. "I am an orphan, wandering since childhood. My eyes are natural Yin-Yang eyes, and I have seen quite a few bizarre things in the past. The Nightmare Spirit is a name I gave it myself. Because... it is just like a nightmare, pervasive and completely formless."

He took a deep breath, closing his eyes as if reminiscing. "I once lived in an air-raid shelter where homeless people gathered. Because I was young, I never dared to fall into a deep sleep. It was right there that I noticed... people starting to suffer from insomnia, plagued by endless nightmares.

"Every time he woke up, he would scream: 'There's a ghost... a ghost is coming to kill me!' And he would grow visibly emaciated. You wouldn't understand; the life of a homeless person is precarious, and no one has the spare capacity to care for others. You even have to guard against people stealing the food you find. So... I hid very well, so well that almost no one ever noticed me."

Old Yu looked at him thoughtfully. "Is that why you thought of the air-raid shelter this time?"

"This air-raid shelter was built very early on. Even the architectural blueprints from the last thirty years don't show it. Furthermore, it's twelve meters underground, exceeding the foundation depth. It probably wasn't built by Chinese people, which is why we never discovered it."

Qin Ye hadn't expected the other party to fabricate such a logical justification for him, so he noncommittally replied, "You could say that... Let me continue. Until one day, someone finally died in the air-raid shelter."

"That person was hacked to pieces, dying a horrific death. But the location's terrain was simply too good, and no one wanted to move away. After disposing of the corpse, we continued to stay there."

He took a deep breath. "However... that was only the beginning."

"Starting that day, for three consecutive days, people died every single day! I had already decided to leave. Just as I was leaving, I suddenly saw the man who had been having nightmares walking past a campfire."

"Everyone was in a panic, too distracted to pay attention to him, but I noticed..." Qin Ye said through clenched teeth, "He... had no shadow!"

Old Yu said solemnly, "A shadow is the primary indicator distinguishing ghosts from humans. If there isn't one... it must be a ghost. Is this the Nightmare Spirit?"

"Yes. Thinking back now, it seemed to be born from nightmares, which is why I named it the Nightmare. In fact, many ancient texts also record it. That time... I suppose you could say I saw it with my own eyes." Qin Ye swallowed as if still feeling lingering fear. "However, the bizarre part had only just begun!"

Old Yu did not take this as a mere story.

Right now, any information—especially such firsthand experiences from a practitioner—was extraordinarily precious to their research projects!

"After wandering for ten months, I returned to the air-raid shelter once more."

"However... I didn't go in." Qin Ye almost wanted to applaud his own acting skills; the look of lingering fear was perfectly expressed. He said in a deep voice, "Because as soon as I walked within twenty or thirty meters of the shelter, my intuition kept screaming at me not to enter, that entering meant certain death! Moreover..."

He let out a breath. "My eyes... could see more than a dozen lingering souls outside the air-raid shelter, besides the ones who died earlier, there were others who died afterward. That place... had already become a demon cave that devoured lives."

"Thinking about it now, I am certain that was Yin energy, and that surge of Yin energy... was definitely above the Soul-Detention tier!"

Old Yu nodded deeply, but the next moment, his eyes snapped wide open as he stared fixedly at Qin Ye. "You mean... a fierce ghost of the Impermanence tier?"

"Yes."

"One year?" Old Yu gasped sharply. "Are you certain?!"

"I am extremely certain," Qin Ye affirmed. "This was an experience from when I was around ten years old, and the impression is deeply engraved in my mind."

Old Yu continued, "Do you remember where that air-raid shelter is?"

Qin Ye had been to too many places and had long anticipated this question, so he immediately answered, "Sufang City."

No matter how they investigated, they would only find an abandoned air-raid shelter and traces of where Qin Ye had stayed.

Ah, this was the blood and tears of his past... Back before the afterlife affairs department was established... roughly around the time of liberation... and he had visited it again a few years ago...

It was simply too miserable to recount...

"Therefore, after encountering this incident, I immediately recalled my own past. Both involved extremely elusive Yin spirits, and both possessed strength far exceeding their tier. Consequently, I feel that the SRC might not be placing enough importance on your research project. You know what a fierce ghost of the Impermanence tier represents, right? If left unchecked, an entire city will quickly be reduced to a dead zone!"

"Quality is far more important than quantity!"

Silence.

Old Yu was deep in thought, but his expression was visibly thrilled.

His own hypothesis had been indirectly corroborated. Although the evidence was still insufficient, once this hypothesis was proven, the environment China faced was far more perilous than imagined!

A city of millions, a provincial capital with tens of thousands—if something went wrong and such an extremely rare Yin spirit broke out in a place with such high population density...

The consequences would be unimaginable!

Moreover... a chill ran down his entire body.

Moreover... if the deduction was proven true, these were only two types they knew of. Were there even more terrifying Yin spirits? More unusual ones with even greater hazards?

"It is time to establish the Yin Spirit Classification Department... When I proposed it last time, it was rejected. But this time, no matter what, I must accomplish this. This is no joke!" Deep in thought, he glanced at Qin Ye and suddenly smiled. "Xiao Qin, what are your plans for the future?"

Qin Ye had already resumed the natural shyness of a typical eighteen- or nineteen-year-old youth. Lowering his head, he smiled. "Thanks to the First Cultivation University's favorable view of me, I will teach my classes well."

Old Yu smiled.

There were children of a similar age among his relatives, and chatting with Qin Ye was quite pleasant. He liked young people who had unique insights, and whose uniqueness wasn't baseless.

"I mean, after graduation," he said casually, tossing out the words. "At the First Cultivation University, someone with your S-grade aptitude cannot stay there forever. At most, you'll teach for one batch of students—two years. Then you'll be assigned to various provinces and cities to serve as supervisory envoys."

He paused, smiling. "Ever thought about working at the SRC?"

"The SRC has a special department called the Action Bureau. After all, we can't bother the Special Investigation Bureau with everything; the SRC has its own armed forces, its own cultivators. Furthermore..."

He said leisurely, "Only associate professor-level research projects are qualified to mobilize the Action Bureau."

The implication was clear: if you come to the SRC, you will definitely be in contact with the heavyweights on the very front lines of the paranormal!

"Holy cow..." Downstairs, the three researchers in white lab coats were first dazed, and now left completely speechless.

No one had expected this!

Qin Ye actually managed to say something substantive, and it was about things they hadn't even thought of!

Whether it was the first hypothesis—that Yin energy might be hidden within the bloodline; no, Yin energy was always inside the human body, which possessed a balanced Yin-Yang constitution, but Yin energy could be triggered by environments or events, a terrifying notion, yet upon careful consideration, not entirely impossible!

Or the second story: the self-named Nightmare Spirit, a Yin spirit that reached above the Soul-Detention tier within a single year!

Or the third conclusion: though his words carried little weight, from his own perspective, he affirmed Old Yu's research project regarding the diversity of Yin spirits, and went even further by pointing out the harsh conditions required for special Yin spirits and strengths that exceeded their original projections.

All three points were sufficient to prove that the opponent possessed exceptionally sharp observation skills and rigorous logical thinking.

"Old Yu personally extended an invitation..." A researcher in a white lab coat smiled bitterly, yet couldn't help feeling a sense of admiration. "We've been here for years... and none of us has ever received a personal recommendation from Old Yu. It seems we still aren't doing enough..."

Su Feng and Lin Han were also frozen in place upstairs.

Even if Lin Han didn't know what this recommendation represented, he knew who was making it.

"One of the academicians of the Three Great Yin Spirit Departments... Did this kid eat cow dung to grow up? You couldn't achieve this kind of luck even by stepping in it!"

Everyone stared fixedly at the screen, desperately wishing they could replace him, all wanting to know what Qin Ye's choice would be.

"Thank you," Qin Ye said with a smile. "However, I prefer subduing demons and eliminating devils. Scientific research work probably isn't suitable for me."

Are you kidding me?

Was the Husky about to enter the elite wolf pack department? Or the intelligence department?!

That would simply be rushing to an early grave...

"Is that so?" Old Guiguo... Old Guohui didn't press the matter further. Being able to extend the offer in the first place was already an exception; he wasn't going to hound someone into accepting. He mused, "Then is there anything else you need help with?"

I love this personality of yours—repaying a favor immediately!

Qin Ye smiled. "Not for the moment..."

"Very well. We are about to send the video record off to Yanjing, so we won't keep you any longer," Old Yu stood up immediately, offering a concise dismissal.

What do you mean?

Can't you let a man finish his sentence?

Qin Ye felt as if a lump of feces was stuck in his throat. Politeness! Can't you recognize mere politeness? Following standard Chinese etiquette, shouldn't you have probed further? And then this official would have reluctantly spoken up!

This old man doesn't play by the rules!

"Ahem... Actually... there is still a tiny little thing..." Cursing inwardly for the umpteenth time, he forced a smile onto his face. "Well, it's like this. After the semester starts, we have a public lecture. As you know, I'm young, and I have some personal insights on this subject that I'd like to share during the lecture. But I'm afraid I won't be able to hold the stage. I was hoping that if Old Yu is free, you might offer some guidance."

"Holy cow!!!" Downstairs, Su Feng and Lin Han cursed simultaneously.

Where's your face?!

Where is your face?!

You just said you didn't want it, and now you're shouting 'don't stop'! Is your face meant for eating?!

"This jerk..." Lin Han's lips were trembling with anger. "Isn't this basically securing the top spot for the public lecture?! How are we supposed to play this game?!"

Su Feng also felt smoke coming out of his seven orifices. He had assumed getting the nomination for outstanding mentor tonight wasn't enough? Once school starts and the students arrive, you're already leading at the starting line... No, you're planning to be born right at the finish line!

What happened to fair competition?

Where is the trust between human beings?

So you were lying in wait for us here?

"With Old Yu showing up... even the two vice presidents and Department Head Zhou will have to accompany him..." Su Feng's facial muscles were twitching. "If Old Yu says it's good, even if this shameless scoundrel is spouting absolute dog manure, the school will have to bite the bullet and rank him first. Otherwise, it'll be seen as a lack of understanding for scientific research and disrespect for the SRC's choices... What on earth is this mess... Xiao Lin, let's go!!"

"Huh? Aren't we going to ask him about the maze mission?" Lin Han was baffled.

"Ask my foot!" Seeing Qin Ye's brazen face right now made Su Feng want to slap him until his face blossomed with peach blossoms. Tonight had given him a comprehensive, multi-dimensional understanding of Qin Ye's malicious nature.

With a dark face, Su Feng snapped, "Back! To prepare our lessons!!"

"At least by preparing seriously, we still have a sliver of hope of tying for first place. If we don't prepare... Hehehe, do you really want to let this punk hog all the glory?"